Tuesday, 10 April 2012

• Product Review: Daiya Cheese Cheddar, Havarti and Jack Wedges

  
  
  If you read my meticulous review of all the new vegan products at Expo West 2012, you know one of the most buzzworthy items was Daiya's new wedges, which come in cheddar, havarti and jack varieties. I had mixed feelings when I tasted them at Expo West, but luckily the fine folks at Daiya sent me home with one of each new flavor!
  

  

  At Expo West, Daiya was serving up old school cheese sandwiches like I used to make myself when I would come home from elementary school, or like many of us ate as vegetarians in college. I decided to try it the same way for lunch the day after Expo West, but I used all three flavors on one. It was good, but I still hadn't made up my mind about the new products.

  

  The next day, I figured I had to try the new flavors melted. I topped a veggie burger with a mix of thin slices of Daiya's new cheddar and jack flavors. This was a great decision. We all know of Daiya's superior melting abilities, but being able to have a combination of cheeses now, especially with the jack on a burger, is wonderful. I also like the fact that you can slice the new wedges and not have to deal with messy shreds. I seem to always lose some shreds and have inconsistent coverage, so this is a great remedy to that problem.

  

  I love me a good grilled cheese, so I went to town on them with these new wedges. In one I did jack, cheddar, avocado and tomato. In another, I did all three wedge flavors with tomato and onion, which was AMAZING. The spicyness of the havarti really sets it off. I also used the havarti in an extra special grilled cheese that will be on the menu at Phoney Baloney's, but I'm going to keep that one a secret for now.

  So, after having so many positive experiences with these new wedge flavors melted, it only seemed right for me to go back and re-try them all by themselves before I wrote a review. To my surprise, this time I absolutely loved them, and really couldn't stop eating them. I think what turned me off at first was that these ARE actually very close to real cheese, and since I hadn't had that flavor/texture in my mouth for a decade, my palate kind of rejected it. If you're a new vegan, trying to go vegan but struggling to give up cheese, or having omni friends over for a wine party, these new Daiya wedges are a sure bet.

  Out of the three, my favorite was definitely the havarti. The spice and garlic in it makes it perfect to eat by itself or pair with a multitude of savory dishes. I could think of a million ways to use these new wedges, but for now I'll just tell you to go out, pick some up, and get creative in the kitchen! These just started arriving in stores so you should be able to find them now or very soon.

  Have you ever tried Daiya cheese wedges before? Would you ever try vegan-friendly cheese?

  Click here to visit the Daiya site.
  Click here to follow Daiya on Twitter.

  This post is contributed from the Vegan Vagrant!

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